Misconceptions
by sinful starlet
Summary: Last chapter at last! Sorry it's taken so long but as a treat I've posted the first chapter of my next story too - 'What the !*$% is going on?' - hope ya like it!
1. Default Chapter

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

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Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

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Author's note: *Proudly standing on her soap box* - Yes, this is an unashamedly Max/Alec story! In fact, all the stories I've written so far for DA have been! Not deliberately actually! I do have a Zack story on the back burner, but I haven't been able to come up with any decent ideas for a Max/Logan story yet. If I ever do, I'll write it up, the spark just ain't there yet! So in the meantime, sit back and enjoy the salty goodness that is Alec! God bless ya Jensen Ackles! J 

Story-wise, I don't want to say too much, 'cause you'll pick it up as you go along, but basically Max has a fairly traumatic day that causes her to re-think a few issues in her life, and most of those are related to Logan and Alec! I would like to point out though, that I know absolutely nothing about medical or hospital procedures, so if those parts are completely inaccurate, just don't say I didn't warn you!

Oh and one last thing. To everybody who reviewed my last fic - THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Introduction

'Love's a funny thing', OC thought, 'and not in the way Sketchy'd think', she added, smiling a little at her own private joke. For the first time she really hoped there wasn't some kind of higher power up there controlling all of their relationships, 'cause if there was' she thought again, 'he must have some warped sense of humour'! The last few days were the perfect example. At least as far as Max was concerned. She smiled at the memory of seeing her friend earlier that night. She was really happy - OC hadn't seen her smiling like that for years, and it was wonderful to see.

"Yo OC?", a voice asked, breaking through her silent reverie, "You with us?" "Sorry Sketch!", she smiled, "Just contemplating a few things". "Anything I can help you with?", he said, smiling hopefully. She had to laugh despite herself, "That's okay boy - nothing serious!" That seemed to satisfy him for the time being so he sat back, taking another gulp of his fourth beer for the night. OC cast her eyes round the club for a few seconds, 'she really should be here by now' she thought. Finally, she saw what she had been looking for and smiled, raising one eyebrow after a few seconds. "Damn girl!", she said, not realising she was speaking aloud, "don't you need to come up for air or something?" Sketchy caught her eye-line, turning round in his seat to see what all the fuss was about. "Oh!", he said, eventually catching sight of the couple sitting in a darkened corner and getting slightly too friendly for a public forum! "Well I guess that explains why she's late!"

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part #1

This was definitely not Max's week. She stared out of the window for a few seconds, trying to regain her calm before she turned back to face the man she was arguing with. She had just come to see him to check that he was okay and now she was getting a scolding for it! "What are you talking about?", she said, turning round at last. "I was _busy_", she said, imitating his words, "this morning 'cause I was working". "And you just had to mix business with pleasure I suppose?", Logan bit back, deliberately trying to antagonise her. "Anytime you're planning on making sense, just let me know!", Max retorted sarcastically, turning on her heel and starting to walk towards the door.

"I stopped by your apartment this morning 'cause you weren't answering your pager, and when I got there I saw...I saw him leaving", Logan said, forcing her to stop dead in her tracks. 'Alec' she thought, sighing, 'cause no, her life wasn't too complicated right now! "I mean maybe I got it all wrong Max", Logan said, walking over to her, his voice a little calmer, "just tell me it's not true, that what I saw wasn't what I think it was". Max eventually turned round, but she still couldn't look him in the eye, "I...I can't do that", was all she could say.

She just stood there for a second, waiting for him to react, to just do anything, but all he did was laugh - a cruel, harsh laugh. "Well isn't that just dandy!", he snapped, all sign of friendship leaving his face. "Tell me Max, did they not teach you about monogamous relationships back at the _lab_?", he said, deliberately emphasising the word 'lab', "Or are you just genetically coded to jump into bed with the first male X5 you come across - I mean you two were supposed to be breeding partners right?!" It took all Max's energy not to slap him then - she knew he was hurt, but she couldn't believe he could be that harsh. 

A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly scrubbed it away, "That's not fair and you know it", she said at last, "we haven't had a relationship like that for me to be unfaithful to for a long time". It was quite a few moments before either of them spoke again, both too emotionally wired and angry to say anything that they wouldn't regret. It was Max who eventually broke the silence, "Look, I'm sorry Logan", she said, a little more calmly, "I really am, but you've got to accept that things are over between us". He didn't reply, just looked her in the eye, all the pain and confusion he felt coming out in that single look. "I gotta go", Max said, heading for the door, and this time she didn't turn back.

The tears came more rapidly as she reached the street and got onto her ninja. She knew they couldn't be together - not with the virus still hanging over both their heads. Why couldn't he understand that? She had been trying to pull back from him for a while, not wanting him to get hurt just by being with her. But he wasn't getting the message. She would admit that pretending to be with Alec of all people wasn't exactly the best cover story, but she had never expected him to get that angry. 'Well that was it now', she thought anyway, she'd be lucky if he ever spoke to her again, let alone saw her.

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part #2

The next morning she banged her locker door shut at Jam Pony's HQ, ignoring Normal's muttered comments about the quality and mental stability of his staff. OC had slept in late that morning and Sketchy was already out on a run, so that left her no one to talk to at Jam Pony at that time. At least, that was the plan, but someone obviously had other ideas. "You okay Max?", a voice said, followed by Alec's face a few seconds later as he stuck his head round the lockers to see her. "Not peachy", she said, "but I'm okay". She tried to smile, but it wasn't really working. "Yeah I can tell!", Alec joked, but the look he got from Max told him that that was probably not the way to go this morning.

"Y'know I can go if it's Ben that's still upsetting you", he said more quietly, looking something that actually came close to sincere in Max's eyes. "No it's not that", she said, attempting to reassure him, "but I appreciate the gesture". "Just not now right?", Alec guessed, answered by Max's nod. "Alright, but if you do wanna talk or something", Alec said, sounding a little uncomfortable, Max thought, "you can always call me", he said, holding up his cell phone as evidence. Max nodded and he smiled once more before he made his way out on a run to sector nine.

Okay so now Alec was being Mr Kind and Considerate and Logan was being the pain in the ass - what the hell was up with the Universe today? "Wakey wakey boo!", OC said, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Come on - I need to get out of here before Normal sees me again - he's already riding my ass about being late again!" Max managed a smile and the two girls breezed out of there before Normal could get another word in.

***

A few hours later, OC was sitting in the locker area, sipping an iced tea and waiting for Max who was late back again. They were supposed to be meeting for lunch, but that run to sector three must have taken longer than she planned because she was already fifteen minutes late. Instead it was Alec that walked over to her, taking a drink of her tea when she offered it. "You waiting for Max?", he asked as he sat down. "As always!", OC joked, "She's just running a little late". "Right", Alec nodded, pausing a second before he asked, "Is she okay? She seemed a little out of it this morning" 

OC hesitated a little before she spoke - this concern for Max was a little out of character for Alec. Not that he was a horrible person or something - it's just he was one of those males Cindy was able to identify as not exactly comfortable with their emotions. She had very little patience with these guys most of the time, mostly 'cause they seemed to spend most of their time messing up relationships of Max's. Except she wasn't exactly sure that was what was going on this time. 

Of course, Max and Alec were always fighting, but there didn't seem to be anything to it. Now here was Alec displaying some real emotion - he was actually really concerned for Max and---'oh no!' OC thought, amazed that she hadn't seen it before. Now what the hell was Max gonna do? She was sure that she didn't know about it but still - that wasn't exactly gonna help her much now. 

So she thought carefully before she spoke - Max had actually told her about the argument with Logan, but she hadn't actually mentioned why they were arguing, saying she would explain more later. Alec interpreted her hesitation to mean that she wasn't supposed to say anything, so he let her off the hook, "It's okay - I get it". "Thanks boo", OC said, smiling, "it's just she's having a few problems with a certain somebody", Alec knew exactly who she meant of course, "I don't even have the full story yet". 

Alec nodded, quickly changing the subject as he saw Max approaching. He smiled at her as she came over to sit with Cindy and said he would see them at Crash later, leaving them to have their private talk. Max watched him go, figuring she was gonna have to say something to him sooner or later, just having no idea where to start. OC could see who she was watching, but she didn't say anything yet - correctly guessing that he was what Max and Logan were arguing about. She knew enough about the argument already to know that it was fairly serious, she just didn't know exactly how Alec fitted into it all.

AN. Okay there's the first part everybody! Woohoo! *a little embarrassed at her own over-excitement!* Anyway, I hope you like it so far - I know not a whole hell of a lot's happened so far, but trust me - I'm getting there! *SS*


	2. Misconceptions chapter 2

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

****

Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

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Author's note: Part two! Gets just slightly more dramatic in this one too! And yeah - life really can be this messed up!

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part #3

Max checked her watch again. She was supposed to be meeting OC and everyone at Crash in about a half hour which meant that if she didn't get going in about the next two minutes she was gonna be late. But she couldn't just leave things the way they were, so she got off her motorcycle, wheeling it inside the building and into the lift up to his apartment. She didn't bother knocking, she never had before, but this time she really wished she had. She had left her bike by the door and just said "hi" as she walked into the living room - and that was where she saw it. 

He was standing there, his hands on Asha's arms as he kissed her on the cheek. "Guess I'm interrupting!", she joked as they pulled apart, shocked to see her. Asha immediately made a dash for the bathroom, though Max couldn't exactly blame her. "Well I'm glad to see you've gotten over your grief!", Max said sarcastically, feeling...well she wasn't quite sure, but right now anger seemed to top the list. "Max, I--", he started, but she wasn't gonna let him finish. "No - you don't owe me any explanations remember? I broke us up first right?" Whatever he said after that, she didn't hear. She just got her bike and got the hell out of there as fast as she possibly could.

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A few minutes earlier...

Logan paused for a second as he threw some clothes into a rucksack - his cell phone sitting on the edge of the sofa just daring him to call her, but he resisted the urge and stuffed the phone in on top of the clothes and drew the bag shut. "You got everything?", Asha asked, as she stepped out of the kitchen, still nursing her cup of coffee. "Just about", Logan replied, smiling at her, "listen - thanks for doing this".

"Anytime", Asha asked, "you call - I drive!" "Okay", Logan said, returning her smile, "it's not too far he says - about thirty miles out of town, but it's a little remote - I just think it'd be better if someone came with". "And you didn't want to ask either of them?", Asha guessed, "Well that's understandable". Logan had filled in a few of the details from the night before, so she knew what she was talking about. Unfortunately, that wasn't the best thing to say to Logan at that moment, he started to look a little grim.

"Hey I'm sorry", Asha said soothingly, coming to draw him into a loose hug, "my foot seems to like living in my mouth!" Logan laughed despite himself and kissed her lightly on the cheek as a thank you...unluckily he had even worse timing than Alec. "Guess I'm interrupting!", was the only thing she had to say - he could tell everything else just from the expression on her face. He did try to call her back - offer some kind of explanation, but that wasn't gonna work right now.

Asha came up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder, after a few minutes had passed. "You still sure about this?", she asked gently, "You really think it's worth it?" Logan didn't reply immediately, he was still staring after Max, but eventually he nodded, turning round to face her. "Yes", he said, with zero doubt left in his voice. "Okay", Asha nodded, "good enough for me!" She grabbed a couple of the smaller bags and made her way down to her car. Logan followed her a few minutes later, grabbing a brown envelope off the coffee table first.

***

While this was going on, Max had driven over to Crash and was seemingly in the process of drowning her sorrows. There was only problem with this - it took a lot of alcohol to get a Manticore kid drunk as Max was regrettably finding out. Sketchy, who had been drinking to keep up with her was starting to look decidedly worse for wear, and OC looked less than pleased too. She shuffled round, closer to Max so Sketchy wouldn't hear. "Come on boo", she whispered gently, "please tell me what's got you like this". Max sat up and just shook her head, pouring herself her tenth pint.

OC looked up just in time to see Alec enter the club. He caught her look and could tell that it wasn't the best time for him to go over there, so he gestured that he was going to the bar, and OC nodded in thanks. That last drink about did it for Sketchy, and he excused himself, running for the bathroom. "Lightweight", Max sniffed, the alcohol obviously just about starting to get to her. She downed one more pint then she got up, a little shakily. "Well as much fun as it is to sit here drinking myself into oblivion - I feel the need of a change of scenery". OC stood up too - supporting her while she wobbled around a bit.

"Don't even be thinking you're gonna go ride your baby home now!", OC pushed, knowing the affection with which Max regarded her motorcycle. Max looked down at the table, seeing only Cindy's glass of water left. She downed the rest of that and turned back to face her friend. "I'm okay", she insisted, stepping past her to walk in a straight line to prove her point. "I promise I won't be out long", she said, maintaining some sense of sobriety when she saw how concerned OC was. "I just need to clear my head is all".

She obviously wasn't gonna take no for an answer, so OC let her go, but she ran over to Alec as soon as Max was out of earshot. "Feel like takin' a ride boo?", she asked Alec as she slid onto the stool next to him. Alec looked at her confused, then guessed she was talking about Max. "She's determined to ride home - even though she's managed to drink enough to floor a quarterback", OC explained, "please, just go see she doesn't kill herself in the process!"

Alec didn't need any more persuasion. He nodded to her then ran for the stairs back up to the street level. It took him a few seconds to find her when he got up there, but then he heard the familiar sound of the ninja's engine running. He ran towards the sound, barely catching Max before she set off. "Hey!", she yelled as she jumped onto the bike behind her. "Sorry!", he called back over the sound of the engine, "You wanna go anywhere on this bike tonight then I'm afraid you're gonna have to take me with you!"

Max muttered something under her breath, which Alec would swear was the word 'figures!', then she called back to him, "Okay - you asked for it!" Without a second's pause, she accelerated hard, practically knocking Alec off as she sped off down the road. He did manage to regain his balance though - he wasn't an X5 for nothing after all - and grabbed onto her waist to keep some stability. "Watch the hands Mr Touchy!", Max yelled back to him. "Fine if you watch the speed!", he yelled back, "You're gonna kill someone!"

He practically fell off then as she took one corner particularly sharply. She made her point - he shut up for the rest of the journey, thinking it'd be far more dangerous to actually try and stop her than to just go along with it. They were both so wrapped up in what was going on though, that neither of them noticed the police car that started to follow them as they sped past - doing 70 in a 30 zone. Alec finally got his chance when Max was forced to pull up at some traffic lights. She took her hands away from the grips for a couple of seconds, and that was all he needed.

He pushed forward and grabbed them, managing to urge the bike forwards and off the road before she could stop him. He pulled them to a halt in front of a warehouse that looked fairly abandoned from the outside. "What the hell was that?", she yelled angrily, leaping off the bike as soon it was stationary. "That was me saving your ass!", Alec snapped back, allowing himself to get more angry than he had wanted to. But Max wasn't listening - in fact she was already walking into the warehouse - doing anything to get away from him. Alec swore, stashing the bike next to a dumpster, out of sight from the road, and then ran after her.

He caught up with her, just as she got inside, and thankfully the warehouse was just as empty as it had looked from the outside. "Max!", he called out to her, as she stormed across the large main room - there was nowhere for her to go other than back outside anyway, "What the hell is going on?" She whipped round, and despite her best efforts to hide them, he could see the tears in her eyes, "Alec - this has nothing to do with you", she lied, "so I'm asking you once - just stay out of this, please!" "I can't", was his only reply, "for one thing - Cindy'd kick my ass if I left you here!"

He slowly walked over to her, deliberately not acting aggressively, because he knew how X5's reacted to stress all too well. "Max please", he tried again, "just talk to me". He stepped a little closer to her, trying to catch her eye as she had lowered her gaze. She did look up then and suddenly 'hurt' had disappeared from her eyes and 'angry' was just starting to get comfortable. He recognised that look all too well and barely had time to prepare himself before she launched herself at him.

He was better trained than she was, but she had raw anger on her side that was doing more than a little to improve her game. But he wouldn't fight her. Every move he made was a defensive one, he knew she was strong, but he was still worried about hurting her. But this only made her more angry. She hit out more and more aggressively, landing a few solid punches to Alec's stomach. "Damn it!", Max yelled, when he wouldn't fight her back, though she wasn't making too much sense through her ragged breathing and tears. At first Alec didn't even understand her, but when she called out, "This is all your fault!", that came through loud and clear. 

For a minute he lost concentration as he tried to think what the hell he had done to her, just long enough for her to land a few more blows. He knew they couldn't go on like that much longer so he aimed a single kick at her. He pulled it back as much as he could, but it caught her just off balance enough to knock her to the floor. Whatever fight she had left in her seemed to leave her then, and she frantically scrubbed the tears out of her eyes to stop him from seeing them. "What did I do?", Alec asked eventually, but he never got the answer. "Freeze asshole!"

AN. Ha ha! I'm gettin' good at leaving these things in really awkward places aren't I?! Yeah, I know it's mean - but come on, how badly do you want the next part now! LOL!! *SS*


	3. Misconceptions chapter 3

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

****

Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

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Author's note: Part three! The "Freeze asshole!" situation is resolved straight away, so don't panic if you've just finished part two and think I'm being evil! Things start to get v. complicated! *SS*

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part #4

'Perfect', Alec thought, realising their little speeding escapade must have attracted some attention. "Just step away from the girl, put your hands behind your head and turn round - slowly". 'Even better' he thought - not only were they after them for speeding, he was now about to get arrested for assault. Max looked up at him, about to move, but he just mouthed to her to stay put. "I don't know what to tell you guys", he said, as he raised his hands and turned round, "but you've got the wrong--".

"Step forward into the light", one of the cops interrupted, raising a gun. Alec reluctantly moved forward, he could already tell what was going to happen. The cops peered at him as he stepped forward, but then one of them caught on, quickly whispering something to the other. He shined a torch up on Alec's face and then grabbed his radio from his belt, speaking into it quickly and relatively quietly. Unfortunately for the cops, X5's are equipped with particularly good hearing, and both Alec and Max figured out that the cops had mistaken Alec for Ben again.

Alec managed to turn just enough to glance at Max, without drawing any unwanted attention. He knew they were running out of time. The cops were calling for back-up and they were going to arrest him again. Alec wasn't exactly Max's favourite person, but she knew him getting arrested again wasn't gonna help either of them. 'If White got news of it...' she thought, and she made her decision. She nodded to Alec, catching his sigh of relief, even if nobody else did, and that was it for those cops then.

They were well-armed members of the sector police - and they didn't stand a chance. Max ran for the nearest one, knocking him down before he even saw her coming, while Alec went for the guy with the radio. The fact that they had guns didn't make any difference - they were both out cold before they could even reach for them. "Thanks", Alec breathed, as they made their way towards the exit. "Later", was Max's reply, "we've got to get out of here". They reached the door inside of two minutes, but that was just too slow - they both froze as they saw the convoy outside, but thankfully their reflexes kicked in before the first bullet was fired.

They dived down inside the building again, able to see Max's bike from where they were, but having no way to get at it with those cops there. But they didn't even have to move - the cops came to them. There were five of them, Alec counted, leaving another seven outside. And they were all armed. This was bad, he thought, but they didn't have any choice - if they didn't get to the bike then someone was going to get killed. They did the best they could, drawing the cops out, tricking them, cornering them. They got through all five of the ones who had followed them, but that still left the seven outside.

Max bent down, removing one of the cops jackets, while she tossed his hat to Alec. "We're walking out of here", she said, he nodded, understanding at once. The cops left by the cars paused for a second when they saw the two figures emerge from the warehouse. It looked like one of their guys supporting the girl, who appeared to be unconscious, but one of them wasn't fooled. They were all of about five steps from the bike when they opened fire. Alec didn't even know what happened at first, but then he felt Max go limp against him, and he knew she'd been hit. Whatever control was holding him back dissolved that second, and as soon as he put Max down somewhere safe, he tore into the rest of the cops. 

They didn't have a chance to fight back. A Manticore soldier who was that angry meant almost certain death for anyone in his path, but he managed to restrain himself enough. Three of the cops went down, unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, the last few put up a little more resistance. The final cop got off one shot as he fell, catching Alec in the side, though he barely even felt it. As soon as he was sure that none of them were getting up again, he ran back over to Max. It was a lot worse than he had thought. The bullet had caught her in the stomach and she was gonna be in serious trouble if she didn't get to a hospital soon.

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part #5

Max was still conscious, but only just, and she was fading fast. Alec tore off his jacket, balling it up and pressing it against the wound on her stomach, barely noticing the largish pool of his own blood soaked into the side. He figured that would hold it until they got to the hospital, but they were going to have to move fast. Somehow he managed to get Max onto the bike, sitting himself down in front. The only comforting thought he could muster as he sped off towards Harbour Lights was the fact that Max would kick his ass for driving her baby once she recovered!

Thankfully Dr Shankar was on call when Alec arrived at the hospital. She ran down to the ER the second the report came through to find Max laid out on a gurney and a very scared looking young guy with her. A very scared young guy that had also been shot by the look of it. Shankar took over the case the minute she recognised Max, moving her into a trauma room where they could get straight to work on her. "Max?", she called to her, checking her eyes and vitals, "Max? Can you hear me?" The guy with her seemed rather surprised that she knew Max, "I'm a friend of Logan's", she explained quickly before she turned her attention back to Max, "and there's nothing more you can do now - nurse, will you go and check---", she paused waiting for his name. "Alec", he supplied, "and I'm fine, it just grazed me - just please help her".

The nurse was doing her best to move Alec away from Max so she could check out his side, but he did not look like he wanted to go anywhere. The desperation on his face was terrible, Shankar thought - just now remembering where she had seen it before. Max had had the exact same look when Logan was brought in a couple days earlier. "Please Alec", she said, quietly, "I need to work here - go get cleaned up and then you can come straight back and check on her". Very reluctantly, Alec eventually left the room, though he could hardly bear to tear his eyes away from Max.

Thankfully, as he had said, the bullet had not done much damage to him, in fact the bleeding had almost subsided already as the nurse cut his t-shirt up to get a better view of the wound. She could see that this guy was in a hurry, so she worked quickly, but very carefully, noticing the other bruises he had. He saw what she was looking at, and quickly shook off her concern. "I'm fine", he insisted again, "just let me get back to her". The nurse sighed, but she let him go and he practically ran back to the trauma room...just in time to collide with Dr Shankar. "Alec, please", she said, soothingly, trying to slow him before he ran into her room, after all - she still didn't know exactly who he was, "you've got to calm down".

"We've repaired the damage to her stomach", she said, speaking quickly to cut out any of his questions, "but she lost a lot of blood on the way over here...", she trailed off then, not sure how to broach the rest of the conversation. "What?", Alec pushed, needing to know what was going on. "...She's in a coma", Dr Shankar finished, and she didn't think she'd ever seen anyone as devastated. "The trauma combined with the blood loss was a heavy blow for Max", she went on, trying to make him understand, "I know she's strong, but this was just too much for her".

Alec shook his head, unable to take any of this in, "No, no", he said, "there's got to be something else we can do...you said she lost a lot of blood - you can transfuse her", he insisted, offering his arm. "Alec, you've lost more than a little yourself", she said, dropping her voice to a whisper, "and we need Manticore blood if we're going to do this at all". "I know", he said, "how do you think I know Max?" Shankar nodded, understanding. "Alright, we'll try it", she said, "but honestly I can't tell you how things are going to go for her now". Alec nodded, he knew that was the best news she could give him. She set up the transfusion line right away, trying to avoid him noticing that she had kept the flow of the line down to a minimum. She knew Max needed the blood, but she was also worried about him.

She left the room at last then, having to answer a page, but saying she would be back very soon to check on them both. It was only once she had left the room that she realised who Alec probably was. She recognised the name, remembering now something that Logan had said at the hospital. He had asked a little grudgingly if it was Alec who had transfused him and she had to tell him that it had been Joshua - the half-man, half-dog that Max had brought in when the other guy she had called hadn't shown up. That other guy was Alec, she realised. She didn't know for certain of course, but it certainly made sense. And if he cared for Max the way she thought he did, then that would go some way to explaining why Logan wasn't here yet.

She didn't know whether something had happened between the two of them, but she figured he at least had a right to know. She finished the case she had been paged about and then picked up one of the phones in the hall, dialling his number. There was also a phone in the trauma room though, and Alec managed to get an outside line at last. "Hello?", came the voice on the other end. "It's Alec", he said simply, "get down to Harbour Lights right now". He hung up then - he didn't have to say anything else. "Come on Max", he pleaded, as he turned back to the still unconscious girl on the bed next to him, memories of Rachel flooding his head, "you can't go like this". He held her hand tightly in his, there was no way he was going to let her go yet.

AN. Yeah I really am dragging this out now aren't I?! It's called suspense people! And don't worry about the doom and gloom, it will have a happy ending! *SS*


	4. Misconceptions chapter 4

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

****

Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

****

Author's note: Part four! And you thought my other story was complicated! Just wait till Logan shows up! *SS*

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part #6

Original Cindy pounded frantically down the halls of Harbour Lights, searching for her. She had got the call about an hour ago, but it had taken her that long to get there, having to call a cab because the hospital was way over on the other side of town. She eventually found the room, only slowing once she saw the two of them inside. She saw Max laid out on the bed of course, her eyes still closed, and she saw him too. The transfusion line was still in place and flowing - Alec had managed to turn the flow back up once Shankar had left - and he was still holding her hand, but he had fallen asleep, his head resting against her side.

Cindy didn't want to wake him, but he awoke instinctively as she walked into the room - Manticore reflexes kicking in. "Hey", she said, rather lamely, not really knowing what to say. He smiled weakly in reply, though his eyes only left Max for about a second. He sat up in the chair again though, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "She's in a coma", he said at last, still looking at Max, "they've got me transfusing her to replace some of the blood from when she was shot, but it's not looking too good". OC felt tears rising to her eyes, Max had always been so strong in her eyes, it was terrible seeing her like this, but Alec was scaring her even more. 

He was still holding her hand gently, but his blank expression screamed one emotion above all - absolute terror. "She'll be okay", Cindy said firmly, needing it to be true, "she's a fighter". Alec did manage a smile at that, if only for a second, "She has to be", he said, resolutely, "I...we all need her to be okay". Cindy could see the emotion welling up in his eyes, but she didn't speak, thinking he needed to get it all off his chest first. "I couldn't stop them", he said, sounding so helpless, "these cops found us, and they were gonna arrest me again", Cindy already knew about the mix-up with Ben. "Max got us out of there", he went on, his voice sounding more and more choked with every word, "but we weren't fast enough".

"Hey", OC said gently, rubbing his back comfortingly as she crouched next to him, only now noticing the bandage over his side and his blood-soaked shirt, "it is not your fault. You can't blame yourself for this - that's not gonna help anybody". Alec reluctantly nodded, not that he really agreed with her, but that had to be enough for both of them. OC paused a little before she asked her next question, knowing she was going to hit a sore spot, "Have you called Logan yet?" "No", came Alec's answer, a lot more gravely than she had expected, "and you're not going to either". "Alec--", she started, but he interrupted her. "Him and Max were fighting already - how do we know if she would even want him to be here anyway?"

OC wasn't exactly won over by his argument, but she could see that it was not a good time to press this with Alec, so she just nodded. "Okay boo", she said, standing up and moving round the bed to squeeze Max's other hand, "I'll go get us some coffee or something". "Thanks", he said, managing a very weak smile. The second she was out of the room again though, he turned back to Max, the tears he had been holding back now forming in the corners of his eyes. "Please Max", he begged, running her hand against his forehead, "you've got to beat this thing. I can't do this by myself". 

OC turned away then. She had stopped just outside the doors to the room, staring back in through the glass panel - she knew Alec wouldn't be watching anyway. She heard his last few words then had to pull herself away for a moment before she started crying even more. Alec just sat there for minutes afterwards, pleading with her to wake up, his voice was barely even audible by the end, but at last, his prayer was answered. He realised her lips were moving, and he practically cried with relief, she was still out, but she was trying to speak. Her lips moved virtually soundlessly, but Alec could hear what she was saying, and his face turned grave again as he realised the single word that crossed her lips was, "Logan".

Alec was devastated at the unfairness of it all. No matter what he did to her, she still loved him. Max's lips stopped moving then, but she had definitely been calling out to him. Alec sighed, realising he had to do this for her. He cleared his throat, adjusting his jaw a little and then started to speak again. But it wasn't his own voice that came out of his mouth. He sounded exactly like Logan. "I'm here Max", he said, holding her hand more tightly, "I'm not going anywhere - least not till you come with me!", he said, attempting a joke to wake her up, but it hadn't worked so far. "Seriously though Max", he said, trying again, "whatever I said before - I'm really sorry. It's just...I care about you so much, I sometimes lose track of what I'm saying...as unbelievable as that sounds!" 

He tried to smile, but the lack of a response from her wasn't helping. "Please Max", he went on, "you have got to wake up...I need you". Then, as nothing else seemed to be working, he reached over to her, pressing his lips ever so gently against hers. Luckily OC didn't see that, as she arrived back at the room with their coffee. But she was in time to hear Alec speaking to Max with Logan's voice. He looked a little surprised to see her, though she was looking at him far more questioningly. "One of the perks of Manticore covert ops training", he explained, returning to his normal voice, "real handy for getting past voice-recognition stuff". 

OC nodded, handing him his coffee, "Worth a shot right?", she said, sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. "Keep going boo", she said, taking Max's other hand in hers, "something's gotta bring her out of this". Alec coughed again, re-adjusting his voice and began to speak again. This co-incidentally was just about the time the real Logan was getting the news. He had missed Dr Shankar's first call to his cell phone, but he had got the message as he and Asha had pulled up for gas on their way back to Seattle. "What's going on?", he asked, as soon as she answered the phone. "Logan...it's Max", she said, trying to sound as calm as possible - knowing he was going to freak out. And he did. "She was shot", Shankar went on, speaking too quickly for him to interrupt, "I repaired the damage but she's in a coma". 

She paused then, but Logan was too shocked to reply. "Her roommate's with her now, and this other guy, Alec, is transfusing her", she went on, "he's the one who brought her in - I didn't get the full story but it looked like they'd both seen some trouble". Logan at last managed to blurt out a reply, saying he would be there as soon as he possibly could and to call him if anything changed. He yelled for Asha to get back to the car, saying he would explain on the way. She insisted on driving, not thinking he was really up to it at the moment - given his emotional state. 

He couldn't believe he had only just found out, he thought as he sat wishing the miles away, no scratch that - he couldn't believe Alec hadn't called him. He knew they weren't exactly the best of friends, but to keep something like this from him? There was not going to be a happy reunion when he saw him at the hospital. At the other end, Shankar hung up the phone a little apprehensive herself. She knew Logan deserved to know what had happened to Max, but she was still a little worried about the whole relationship mess that seemed to be happening between Logan, Max and Alec.

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part #7

Logan arrived less than two hours later, breaking more than one federal speeding law, but Asha could see that slow and steady wasn't exactly the way to go at that time. He couldn't find Dr Shankar - she'd been called away to another case, but he managed to find Max's room, leaving Asha outside while he went in. She was just laying there, just looking like she was peacefully sleeping, but Logan knew it was a lot more serious than that. Her companions were asleep though. OC was dozing in the left hand chair, while Alec was asleep in the right hand chair. The transfusion line was still in place, Logan noted, though his view was partially obscured as Alec was still holding Max's hand and sleeping with his head rested against her side.

Logan bristled a little at the fairly intimate position Max and Alec were in, but he wasn't about to say anything, especially as Alec began to stir as he walked in. He looked a little surprised to see Logan, though he hid it well, but before either of them could speak, somebody else began to wake up. It was quite an effort at first, she had to force her eye lids open, but eventually she shook off her sleepiness and actually yawned a little. She had to look around her for a few seconds before she realised where she was, but then the hospital swung into focus, as well as the faces of Logan, Alec and OC.

OC also woke as she felt Max's hand move, and she was just as overjoyed as the guys to see her awake. "Thank God boo", she sighed, smiling in relief at the guys, "you had us real worried there!" Max managed a smile at her friend, and another to Alec, who she realised must have gotten her to the hospital. Alec managed to remove the transfusion line without her seeing and released her hand as he stood up, allowing Logan to take his place. "Logan?", she said, her voice still a little weak and broken-sounding. "Ssh - it's okay Max", he said, almost overcome with relief, "it doesn't matter now". Alec stepped to the back of the room, allowing Logan and Max to have their moment.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner", Logan said, as OC ran off to find Dr Shankar, "I came as fast as I could". This seemed to confuse Max, and her brow furrowed into a frown. "But you were here", she insisted, "I heard your voice, telling me to come back and--", she trailed off then, needing to breathe, her strength still not recovered. Logan was really confused, how had she heard his voice? He looked to Alec, who just mimed a phone sign, and he figured for the time being he may as well go with it. "I called you", he said, "it must be that you remember". "I guess", Max said, sounding a little vague, "but it was you - you brought me back".

This was about all Alec could take, and he turned to leave, but Max's voice stopped him. "Alec wait!", she called, and he turned round, walking back over to her bed side, next to Logan. "Thank you", she said, managing a more convincing smile, "you saved my life". "Well I figured I owed you!", Alec said, joking to hide his inner feelings which were screaming to come to the surface. "I'm just glad we got you back", he said, more seriously, squeezing her hand again. She smiled back at him, but he could see that even now, he didn't have her full attention. Just at that moment though, OC came back with Dr Shankar.

"Well, that was some recovery!", Shankar said, smiling at her young patient. "You had a lot of people worried though!" "I'm beginning to see that!", Max said, smiling to all her friends. 

"Okay", Shankar said, after checking her vitals and a few other readings from all the monitors Max was hooked up to (she also noticed that Alec had removed the transfusion line), "I think you're okay for the moment, but I'll come back and check on you again soon - I want to keep you in for at least the rest of the night - make sure you're okay". Max nodded, she wasn't gonna disagree anyway. "You, I'd like to have another look at though", she said, gesturing for Alec to follow her, which he did, nodding to Max again with a smile as he left.

Logan stood up as Alec and Shankar walked out and gestured for OC to go with him. He told Max that they would be back in a second, saying he would get her some water or something. As soon as they were outside, Logan turned inquisitor, a little too harshly OC thought. She explained that it was Alec talking to Max while she was unconscious. "Something else Manticore tricked up", she said, "he just wanted to help her - and if that meant you being there, then he did what he could". "We didn't call you", she explained, "because Max told us about the fight - we weren't sure---". "If Max'd want me there?", Logan guessed. "It wasn't like that", OC said, attempting to pacify him, "but things were kinda crazy here". "And don't even think 'bout blaming Alec", she said, showing where her loyalties lay. She did like Logan, but she wasn't on his side this time. "He saved her life twice tonight, and you haven't as much as said thank you yet!" 

"You just turn up in time to play the caring friend, boyfriend...whatever you are! You weren't even in town when it happened!" "How did--", Logan started, but OC cut him off. "He told me not to, but I called you anyway - you weren't answering at home or on your cell". "Not that I should have to justify my actions to you", Logan said, starting to get a little indignant, "but I was doing something important at the time!" "Yeah", OC said, virtually under her breath, catching sight of Asha sitting at the other end of the hall, "sure you were!", she added, walking of to check on Alec. 

While this had been going on, Shankar was checking on Alec's injury and properly removing the line he had pulled out when Max regained consciousness. She checked the valve on the line, and realised that he had turned up the flow as well, despite her telling him not to. He realised that's what she was looking at and just vaguely shrugged, but he did look a little peaky from giving her so much blood. She helped him lift his shirt off over his head and peeled back the bandage to check on his side. "Well it's lucky you guys have accelerated healing in your cocktail!", she said, a little sarcastically, "But you're gonna need to be a little more careful for the next few days".

"You hear that boo?", OC smiled as she walked into the room. "Working on it!", Alec laughed in reply. Shankar quickly handed Alec his shirt back, thinking he might be a little self-conscious with OC coming into the room. "Not gonna be an issue!", Alec said, and Shankar flushed a little, realising what he was saying. "Come on", OC said, smiling herself, "get your rags together - I'll take you home". Shankar smiled at both of them, thinking they were a slightly odd pair, but they were good people, in their own ways. "Remember to sign out", she said, leaving the two of them together, "and make sure you get some proper rest!"

OC helped Alec pull his torn shirt back on - his jacket was a lost cause, having been thrown out when they brought Max in - it was too blood-soiled to be any good now. He thanked her and stood up, still a little shaky. "Give it a minute sugar", OC said, "there's no hurry". He sat back down again with a little sigh, which she only just noticed. "Hey, I'm glad you're okay", OC said, smiling at him, "Max's lucky she's got someone like you watching her back". "Yeah", Alec replied, with kind of a sad laugh. OC paused for a second, moving round to sit down next to him. "I know how you feel about her, boo", she said at last, watching him carefully, "I see you ain't denying it".

"What's the point?", Alec shrugged, "You'd have gotten it out of me sooner or later!", he managed a laugh, but it wasn't too convincing. "Just don't tell Max", he said, a little more seriously. "Whatever you say", she replied, hesitating again before she spoke, "you do know that _he_ knows, right?" Alec just nodded. "Doesn't change anything though", he said resignedly, "as long as Max feels the way she does, it doesn't matter how I feel. I'm not gonna stand in her way if this is what she really wants". OC sighed inwardly, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him - and wonder if Max was making the right choice.

AN. And the plot thickens! And if you think this is as tense as it gets - you ain't seen nothing yet! *SS*


	5. Misconceptions chapter 5

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

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Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

****

Author's note: Part five! Poor Max - can just one thing in her life ever be simple?! Apparently not!

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part #8

A few minutes later they made their way out into the hallway again, with OC, who was supporting Alec while they walked, steering them towards the exit. "Wait", Alec said, as they reached Max's room, "I just wanna say goodnight". Logan looked a little miffed as Alec walked in, but managed to avoid Max seeing that. "Hey", she said, greeting him cheerfully, "you going home now?" "Yeah", Alec said, smiling back at her, "I just wanted to stop by and say goodnight first - make sure you were okay". "I swear if one more person asks me that I'll go crazy!", Max joked, "But really - I'm fine - thanks to you I hear!"

"Not entirely!", Alec replied, "But I'm glad you're feeling better - now can I borrow your bike for the ride home?" "What?!", Max said incredulously, "No way!" "Worth a try though right?", Alec joked, "Well you get some rest, and I'll probably come check up on ya tomorrow!" Max nodded, smiling to OC as well as she helped Alec out of the room. Just as they were doing that, Logan mouthed a thank you to Alec, it was a little awkward and there wasn't exactly a load of feeling in it, but Alec accepted it for what it was. 

Max noticed that despite his jokes, Alec had seemed a little sad then, but she wasn't going to press it with Logan there. Her memory of the night before was still a little hazy in places, but the image of Logan kissing Asha had just resurfaced fairly prominently and she remembered why she was mad at Logan. There was something else too - she remembered his voice talking to her while she was unconscious, but she also remembered a kiss. It was very feint, but it had definitely been there, and that couldn't have been Logan could it? "What is it?", Logan asked, seeing the confusion in her eyes. Unfortunately, this was also the moment Asha decided to walk past the door.

"You brought her here?", Max questioned, a little pointedly. Logan sighed, "She brought me actually, but it's not what you think". "Logan I don't--", Max started, but she didn't have a chance to finish as Logan bent down and captured her lips in a kiss. She recoiled from him instantly, waiting for the virus to kick in, and thinking what the hell was he doing. But it didn't. He sat back, grinning proudly, eventually offering an explanation. "That's where I was going with Asha last night", he said, "we found that scientist who started the work on the cure and...persuaded him to finish. I'm officially cured". 

"That's great!", Max replied, letting him pull her into a loose hug, though she wasn't sure why she still wasn't overjoyed. "You should probably know then", she said, as he pulled back, "there was never anything between me and Alec - I was just using it as an excuse". She was a little annoyed at the laugh that emanated from Logan. "I knew really", he said, "I could never believe the two of you as a couple - it's a little ridiculous!" "Yeah, I guess!", Max said, playing along, although she wasn't sure why. "But that's all over now", Logan said, looking very pleased, "I guessed you were lying about Alec when you said it was my voice that brought you out of the coma". "Yeah right", Max said, deciding to test him a little, "so did you really mean all of those things you said?" 

She had to give him his credit, he hid it very well, but he was obviously lying when he spoke again at last. He had just hesitated a little too long before he spoke, and besides - if Manticore had taught them anything in interrogation, it was how to spot a liar. "Of course", he said eventually, reaching in to kiss her again. Max reciprocated, but just barely. She was so confused now. What had been going on? She knew it was Logan's voice that she had heard, but given that he had just lied to her, she knew it couldn't have been him - and that kiss too. That had been different. So what had happened? 

"Right", said a voice interrupting them, "I know you two are a special case, but I have to insist that you go home now Logan and let her get some proper rest!" Logan smiled at Dr Shankar, rising to greet her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning", he said to Max, giving her a wide smile as he left. Max was at last left alone to her thoughts - she wasn't going to be getting any sleep anytime soon. She knew only one thing for certain - she had to talk to Alec.

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part #9

The next morning, despite both of the guys insistence, OC was the first to visit Max. She brought a whole bag of clothes with her, because, as she correctly guessed, Max was ready to go home. All of her X rays and blood work (which Shankar had carefully managed to delete from hospital records) had come back fine so Shankar reluctantly agreed to release her as long as she just went home to rest. "So how you feeling sugar?", OC asked as she waited for Max to change. "Surprisingly okay considering", Max said, "just seriously confused". "How come?" "Just something Logan said - y'know while I was unconscious". 

OC's expression changed, but thankfully Max was still behind the curtain so she couldn't see. "Were you there?", Max asked her. "Uh yeah", OC replied, a little cautious. "So you were the one holding the phone then?", Max asked. "What?", OC questioned, then quickly recovering, but realising Max had caught her out. Max drew back the curtain, facing her friend with her hand on her hip, "So you gonna tell me what really happened now?" OC sighed, but she figure there was no point lying anymore. "Alright, it wasn't Logan talking to you", she said, still not sure she was doing the right thing, "it was Alec".

"Alec?", Max asked, confusedly. "I don't know how - he said it's something he picked up from Manticore - he can imitate other people's voices". "It was him talking to you the whole time", she went on, "he brought you in, transfused you 'cause you'd lost too much blood, sat talking to you the whole time, trying anything to bring you out of it". "He really cares about you boo", OC said, trying to explain away the confusion in Max's face. Max didn't know what to say at first. It had been Alec the whole time? Well that made things so much better didn't it?! So that meant it was Alec that---?

OC didn't speak at first, letting Max take all this in. She was sorely tempted to tell Max that Alec was in love with her, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. She could also see that there was something else. "Boo?", she prompted gently. "Logan lied to me", she said quietly, "he said it was him talking to me the whole time - he wouldn't admit it". "Well that's not entirely his fault", OC said, not sure why she was defending him. "Alec came up with the idea in the first place - he told Logan to go along with it. He didn't even want to call Logan in the first place, and then when you asked for him, Alec figured he had to do something to make you think he was actually there". Which made even more sense, Max thought. Why was Alec helping Logan to get back together with her?

"It's not just that", Max went on, "Logan...Logan's got the cure for the virus". 'Oh God', OC thought, 'poor Max'. What the hell was she supposed to do now? The one guy she thought she was in love with, she can now be with, but he lied to her - whereas the guy who's usually the pain in the ass saved her life and is in love with her too. "So what are you going to do?", OC asked, running a little low on advice at that moment. "I have no idea", Max said, looking even more confused, "but I've got to talk to Alec".

***

It had taken her a few hours to find him once she had gotten out of the hospital. It was too early for him to be at Crash, but she didn't reckon that he'd actually take the day off work. Admittedly going in to Jam Pony wasn't a great idea - it took her about another half hour to convince Normal to let her take the day off - and then she had to show him the bandage on her stomach. She eventually managed to get out of him that Alec had actually called in sick. She rode round to his apartment on her ninja, still trying to figure out what she was going to say to him. But where the hell did she start?

She paused for a second outside the door, trying to muster up some courage, or whatever else she needed, but at last, she knocked. "Just a second", came the sound of a voice through the door, followed quickly by Alec's rather surprised face as he opened the door. "Uh Max, hi", he said, his face a mixture of confusion and...something else Max couldn't quite place yet. "Can I come in?", she asked, stepping inside as he moved back to let her enter. "So how are you?", he said, a little self-consciously finishing buttoning up the shirt he had just thrown on after his shower, "Should you be out of the hospital yet?"

Max had to smile a little at that. "I'm fine - course that's not what I told Normal, but yeah, I'm okay!" He smiled too, still seeming a little awkward. "You?", she asked, "Given you took the day off and all". "Yeah", he nodded, "just it was way too easy to convince Normal to give me the time off - why waste it?" 'Great' Max thought - he was retreating behind that usual Alec humour defence mechanism - so what exactly was he hiding? "Well", she said, trying again, glancing round the apartment as she walked into the living room, "I just wanted to thank you again for what you did last night". Alec's mind was going into overdrive thinking what exactly was she trying to say, but figured he had just about managed to cover his confusion in time.

"I know I give you hell most of the time", Max went on, making a big show of not looking at him, but sneaking glances out of the corner of her eye, "but you really came through for me - you brought me out of it". Alec was still a little confused, but he went with it, "Shouldn't you be giving that speech to Logan?", he said, "I mean I got you to the hospital and gave you a few thousand white cells", she smiled at this, "but it was Logan's voice that woke you up". She turned round to face him then, studying his face clearly, but he still wasn't going to give it up.

There was only one problem with that though. He could lie well enough to fool virtually everybody - but unfortunately that did not include other X5s. She saw straight through him. Eventually her stare got to him. He couldn't quite figure out what she was doing and it was a little freaky. "What--?", he started, but she cut him off. "You gonna tell me the truth or do I have to beat your ass until you give it up?" Now she looked pissed, and that could not be good. "Okay, okay", he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender, figuring there wasn't much point in continuing to lie to her, "yeah it was me talking to you at the hospital, but I was just giving you what you needed to hear. You wanted Logan there with you - that's what you got - or close enough anyway!"

Max frowned, there had been something slightly hostile in his tone, although she wasn't sure why. She still wasn't entirely convinced though. "What you want a demonstration?", Alec asked, reading her face like a book. He coughed a little, clearing his throat and then started speaking again in Logan's voice. "It's really quite simple", he said, just managing to stop himself from laughing at Max's amazed expression, "but they didn't teach us it till we were around sixteen and old enough to actually go out on missions". He cleared his throat again and then returned to his normal voice, "So there you have it", he said, "a little vocal adjustment, and you got what you wanted".

"Yeah seems like", Max said, not sounding too sure. She finished pacing around and sat down on his couch, and a few seconds later, he followed her, pointedly sitting at the opposite end though. "Logan--", Max started, still not entirely sure what she was doing, "he got the cure for the virus". She looked round at him, gauging his reaction, and for a second his face clouded over, but he quickly pushed that aside and gave her a smile. "You guys finally got what you wanted then", he said, standing up and starting to move towards the kitchen, "I'm glad for you". 

He started clattering pots around in the kitchen, prompting Max to get up and see what he was doing. She practically laughed when she saw him triumphantly hold up two clean cups. "I should probably wash up more often right?", he offered, digging around in another cupboard and finally producing a bottle of JD - his favourite, and hers too, she had to admit. He poured out a couple of small measures and handed one cup to her, offering a toast. She drank it down quickly, turning back to look at him. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something, but she couldn't tell what it was, and he shrugged it off quickly.

He suddenly seemed to realise something and turned to her again, "Anyway, what are you still doing here?", making her laugh and he frowned at her, "_Not_ meaning to be rude", he added, "but you've finally got the cure for the two of you and you're standing here talking to me?" "It's not quite that simple", Max said, her face turning a little more serious. He looked at her questioningly and she had to drop her gaze, not being able to look at him while she said her next few words, "You kissed me".

AN. Woohoo - cliff-hanger! And yeah I can be that mean stopping it there! Don't worry, more coming soon, and the end is in sight! *SS*


	6. Misconceptions chapter 6

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

****

Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

****

Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

****

Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

****

Author's note: Part six! Almost at the end, but still not quite there yet! I guess some explanation comes out here - but things are never that simple right?! *SS*

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part #10

He wasn't quite quick enough to hide his surprise this time, a little more than shocked that she had remembered. "Uh yeah", he said eventually, suddenly becoming very concerned with the washing up, pouring some water into the sink and starting to clean some dishes. "Sorry about that", he quickly added, missing the look of confusion on her face. "I guess I was just...I don't know, 'concerned' is probably the right word", he went on, trying to come up with something that sounded vaguely plausible, "I'd tried pretty much everything I could think of to wake you up - talking, telling you jokes, I even told you I'd totalled your bike - I thought that might do it!", she had to laugh at that. "But nothing was working so far - so it was either I kiss you, or I started singing - and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have wanted me to do that!"

"Is that what you were worried about?", he asked after she hadn't said anything for a few minutes, "It didn't mean anything", he said, praying she didn't catch him on the lie this time, "I just wanted you to be okay, and I was running a little short on my repertoire!" He hazarded a look back at her then, he had been expecting her to laugh and she hadn't. "So that's all there was to it?", she questioned. "Of course", Alec said, trying to sound a lot more convincing than he felt, "what else would there be?", that was probably a stupid thing to say, he decided straight after saying it, but he was getting curious himself now, and he wanted to see where this was going.

"Well not wanting to challenge your honourable intentions and all", Max said eventually, "but I can't believe that". "Why not?", Alec prompted, not sure what she was doing. "Well for one thing, you could not be more on edge now if you tried, and", she said quickly, before he could object, "you've been cleaning the same plate for the last five minutes", she said, gesturing to the dish in his hand, "I don't think it's gonna get any cleaner!" Alec swore under his breath, barely audibly but she caught it. "Alec please", she said more gently, "I need to know what's going on here". "Nothing", he said grimly, "that's what you really want to hear isn't it? You don't want to hear the truth".

"Why not?", Max pushed. "Because then you might actually have to acknowledge that that kiss meant something to you too - and you're not ready to do that, you can't let go of Logan". Max just stood there in shock for a few minutes, not having a clue what to say. "Cat got your tongue?", Alec pointedly asked, then, "That's the real problem here isn't it - it's nothing to do with me or Logan - it's you. You can't figure out how you feel anymore and it scares the hell outta you". "Since when did you suddenly become the expert on my feelings?", Max bit back, hurt turning to a little anger, "Or anybody's for that matter? You're so closed off - who're you to be talking about being scared?"

"You know what?", Alec replied, getting a little angry himself as he dumped the remaining dishes in the sink and roughly dried his hands on the towel, "You're right", he went on, "absolutely. I am scared - I'm scared because the last person I let myself care about ended up in a coma and then dead because of me, so when I was with you last night and that doctor told me you'd gone into a coma I was a little upset, yeah". He stopped then, breathing a little heavier than normal - he hadn't mean to say that much, he had really blown it now.

But she didn't look angry anymore, her face took on the expression of sympathy and regret, and her voice became a lot more gentle. "Alec I'm sorry", she said, walking over to him and gesturing for him to sit down at the kitchen table with her, "I didn't understand before...but you do...", she started, still a little unsure of herself, "...you do care about me?" Alec practically laughed at that, "I guess I just have a lousy way of showing it!", he said, still avoiding her gaze, "I was just trying to stop myself from getting too close to you. I knew you loved Logan - and you weren't exactly crazy about me when we first met!" 

Max smiled, she couldn't blame him for thinking that. "I thought if I just kept my distance, it'd make it easier...for you, me, him", he paused, and Max heard him sigh, "I thought I could just force myself to ignore how I felt". Max sat there for a second, trying to take all of this in - this was certainly a side of Alec she had never seen before, and she noticed she certainly didn't want to leave just yet. When at last she spoke, the only thing she could think of to say was, "Is it working?" He did look up then, catching her eyes looking straight back at him. He laughed sadly, "Not so much", he said at last. 

Max took a long pause then. She really did have to make the choice now. Alec had just laid it all out for her, just like Logan had the night before - now it was down to her, and she figured there was only one way for her to be sure. She stood up slowly and Alec's head drooped even further. He thought she was leaving. He had finally told her how he felt, and now she couldn't take it and she was going to walk out on him for good. It took him a few seconds to realise she was actually walking in the opposite direction, and came to a stop right in front of him. He looked up at her questioningly, but he never got an answer as she took his face gently in her hands and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

AN. Well that seems pretty decisive! But that's still not the end! There's one more part to come! *SS*

AN.2. Also - the reason I've been so slow in posting this story is that I haven't got my next one written yet! I've got two ideas on the go, but am having no time to actually write the damn things! So just to warn you in advance - when the ending of this story goes up you're going to have to wait for a while to get the next one! *SS*


	7. Misconceptions chapter 7

Misconceptions

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: Again, nothing connected to Dark Angel the tv show is mine. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while - I take no responsibility for their actions! J 

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Rating: I still don't really get how to do this but never mind! Most of it's nothing too serious but I'd probably say it was an R (at least in places!) - feel free to disagree with me!

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Summary: What a difference a day makes! What happens when you figure out that you had everything backwards to begin with?!

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Author's note: Okay this is it folks! THE END definitively! Hope you all enjoyed it and I'll just shut up now and let you finish! *SS*

part #11

He couldn't help but reciprocate when he felt her lips touch his. He had wanted this for so long, but there was still that nagging doubt in the back of his mind, so he gently pushed her back for a second so he could talk to her. "Max wait", he said, a little surprised at his voice sounding so breathy, "are you really sure about this?" She stepped back enough to let him stand up and face her properly. "I mean you and Logan can finally be together, and instead you're here with me?" Max just smiled, "Exactly". That was all she needed to say. She practically laughed then, forgetting before how tall Alec was, so she just reached her arm round his neck and pulled his face back down to her level, "Just shut up and kiss me!" Alec smiled back down at her and she could feel his breath on her face, "Yes ma'am!"

***

About four hours, and a lot of...talking, later, she eventually pulled up outside Logan's apartment. Alec had wanted to go with her while she did this, but she did at last convince him that it probably wasn't the best idea. She also found kissing him to be a very persuasive bargaining tool! She was more than a little apprehensive as she knocked on his door, but she was also sure she was making the right decision. Logan answered almost immediately, beaming in happiness to see her up and about. 

"I wasn't sure you'd be out of the hospital yet", he said, pulling her into a hug, "I was gonna come by and see you there". "Well you know me", Max joked uneasily, "never could stand those places!" He smiled and pulled her into a gentle kiss, not wanting to rush her but enjoying the face that they could now touch without him dying. "Logan wait", Max said, pulling back quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings but needing him to know. "We can't", she said, "..._I_ can't do this". He was totally confused of course, and more than a little upset, so she spoke quickly, trying to explain.

"It's not you", she said, "I am so glad that you found the cure for the virus - if anything had happened to you because of me I don't know what I would've--". "Max please", he said interrupting her, "if you have something to say - just say it". "I've been thinking about this a lot, and I am so, so sorry, but just because two people 'can' be together, doesn't necessarily mean that they 'should'". Logan was still confused at first, not understanding what had just happened, but eventually the realisation dawned. He didn't even want to think it, but he guessed what had happened. "Alec?", he asked. Max didn't reply at first, but finally she nodded, still not quite able to say the words to his face.

"I really never meant for it to happen", she said, hoping he would understand, "but something did. I woke up this morning and I just...I knew that things between us were different". "The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you", she said, realising she was doing a pretty good job of that right now, "but I do love him, and I need to be with him". Logan didn't speak at first, but when he did it was with a sad laugh, and an acceptance of the truth. "I know", he said, "I guess I even saw it coming, at least from Alec's perspective - I was just hoping you wouldn't notice!" He walked back over to her, pulling her into a looser, but more tender hug. He had accepted it, Max realised, this was him giving her up.

***

OC smiled as she took another sip of her daiquiri. Love really was a messed up emotion, she thought, you never knew when it would happen - and definitely not with who, but when it did, you had better hang onto it 'cause you could never know if it would ever happen again. She laughingly managed to get Sketchy's attention back to the table he was sharing with her, casting one last glance back at the couple in that darkened corner.

Max sighed as Alec's lips finally left hers long enough to trail down her neck, leaving butterfly kisses over every new inch of exposed skin. "You know..", she said, trying to formulate a sentence which was not the easiest thing in the world to do when he was kissing her like that, "...we should really go over to Sketchy and OC...", she couldn't help but let out a moan as his lips brushed the base of her throat and she reluctantly lifted his chin up so he had to stop and look at her. 

"We're already late", she managed at last, dodging several attempts of his to kiss her again, before surrendering back into the heaven that he was inflicting with every touch. They were late though. Max had eventually managed to get them out of his apartment in an at least moderately respectable state of dress, and now here they were. They'd managed to get as far as inside Crash when he'd spotted a darkened corner and dragged her over to it. And she was gonna be the last person in the world to object. She couldn't believe that it had taken her this long to figure it out. In a world as screwed up as theirs, they made perfect sense. And to think, it'd only taken being shot in the stomach and almost dying to realise that. Love's a funny thing...

THE END

AN. Ta da!! Finally finished! So what d'ya think? And I've just started work on another story. Think this one's going to be a bit longer than the others so it might take me a while! If anybody's interested you can e-mail me at nirvana_nerd@hotmail.com and I'll let you know when I've posted it! Love to all! *SS*


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